Billy
by jennytork
Summary: It's not every day that Missouri Mosely goes out to eat - but on this day she meets a unique dog and his equally unique master. (Takes place in my Gemini SPN AU - where the brothers are a meta-human. Yes - one.)


**BILLY**

It wasn't often that Missouri Mosely went out to eat. Besides the fact that she felt she cooked better than most anyone around, it was hard to block out the psychic vibes of everyone around her.

But today was a very slow day, with not many people around. So Missouri – still mulling over the shock of finding John Winchester's two boys were not only meta-human, but _one_ meta-human, fused into one person when they used their abilities – went to one of the smaller restaurants on the outskirts of Lawrence.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that it took a long few moments for her to realise that the mingled affection and grief were coming from outside her own head. She looked around, wondering who possesed the intense emotions.

There were three of them, about her age if not a bit older, gathered around a tall table in the corner. She could sense there was a fourth – passed on – but was still very present in the memories that were flying between them.

That man's spirit had gone on, Missouri sensed, but the paternal protection on the trio remained. A father figure, then.

A presence at her side had her turning her head, expecting to see a waitress, but seeing nobody. She lowered her eyes and found herself looking into the alert brown eyes of a doberman with undocked ears and tail. "Oh, my goodness," she gasped, and was rewarded with a dog's version of a broad grin. "Where did _you_ come from?"

The furred head pushed under her palm and images exploded into her mind.

_A place of fire and agony. Being pulled from there to serve a woman with the name of a red gem and eyes of the blackest coal. Causing pain in her service, while pretending to be a plain dog at a place of healing – though only the mistress could see him. Meeting the kind one – the one who could see him and who had befriended him in the healing place. Mistress ordering him to kill the kind one – only to find her death at his jaws._

Missouri blinked down at him. "Mercy day," she breathed. "...you're a hellhound. But you've got the mightiest drive to protect I ever saw." She dug her fingers into the skin behind his ears, and was rewarded with the head pushing into her palm and the tail thudding happily onto the floor. "And you found someone who loves you ... who healed the worst of you with that love."

"Billy!" rang through the restaurant and human and canine heads swiveled to see the three in the corner had finished. One – a thin man in a leather jacket and ball cap – had his hands on his hips and was looking their way. "Leave the lady alone! Sorry, ma'am."

"Again?" the heaviest-set of the trio growled, shaking his head so hard the feather earrings he wore smacked against his neck. "Come on, you crazy fool, she can't see that idiot mutt!" He walked out the door and Missouri could sense the affection under the exasperated muttering of "...swear, that crazy fool ain't never gonna change..."

The third, a blond, chuckled as he followed, shaking his head and giving off vibes of contentment and fondness and a sharp sting of longing that their fourth was there to see this.

The dog loped to his master's side, and got a full face and neck scratching while he bathed his master's face with his tongue. "Okay, okay, let's go before they drive off without us!" the master laughed. "Sorry again, ma'am. I hope he didn't make trouble."

"Oh, it was no trouble," Missouri smiled. "Billy was the perfect gentleman. He's got quite the story."

His face lit. "You... saw him?"

"Oh, he's quite the conversationalist. And quite the protector."

"He surely is! Why, I wouldn't have known what to do with myself after-" He faltered, grief stabbing into his eyes and into her heart. "...well... Billy did a good job of protecting all of us."

Her smile grew. "Even if they can't tell he's there?"

"Best this way, ma'am," he said, his face suddenly serious, though he was still smiling just a little bit. "Best soldier, after all, is the one that's underestimated." He touched the bill of his baseball cap and nodded a salute. Then, with a "Come on, Billy!" he left the restaurant.

Billy shot her another doggie grin as he followed, his brown eyes briefly flickering hellhound red.

Missouri shook her head fondly. "You protect them, now," she muttered. "All three of them. Lord above knows they need it."

**END**


End file.
